A pair of co-teachers shares a room, yet one of them spends the period handing out papers while the other lectures. The co-teaching strategies that fix this are a matching model for each lesson and roles planned together.
That quick answer holds for most teams, with one condition: the model has to change when the lesson, the students or the partnership changes. School leaders thinking about how staffing and timetables fit their wider role can start with what does a school principal do, then return here for the model-by-model detail.
What co-teaching is, and what it is not
Co-teaching is the practice of pairing teachers in one classroom to share planning, instructing and assessing. In that arrangement the teachers are considered equally responsible and accountable for the classroom. The pairing is often a general education teacher with a special education teacher, as part of an inclusive classroom initiative.
The shared accountability is what separates co-teaching from having a second adult in the room. A special education teacher who co-teaches takes part in planning, teaching and assessment alongside the general education teacher. The models below describe how that shared work can be divided during a lesson.
The six models side by side
CAST describes co-teaching as typically implemented using one of six models. The table sets them against what happens in the room and what each asks of the planning pair.
| Model | What happens in the room | Planning use |
|---|---|---|
| One teach, one observe | One teacher instructs while the other observes students to identify issues and assess performance. | Agree beforehand what the observer is looking for and who receives the notes. |
| One teach, one drift | The second teacher gives additional assistance and support as needed while the first instructs. | Useful for quick support without splitting the class; vary it so the support role does not become permanent. |
| Station teaching | Each teacher instructs part of the lesson at independent stations, or the teachers rotate between groups. A fifth-grade math example divides the class into four groups and switches groups after 15 minutes. | Plan the content and timing of every station, and set the rotation interval to suit the task. |
| Parallel teaching | The class is divided into two groups, and each teacher instructs one group with the same content simultaneously. | Both teachers must prepare the same content; choose it when smaller groups would help. |
| Alternate teaching | One teacher handles a larger group while the other teaches a small group needing specialized attention. In one example, the first teacher gives a lesson to approximately two-thirds of the class. | Decide in advance who joins the small group and what it is working on. |
| Team teaching | Co-teachers share responsibility and instruct at the same time. | Needs the strongest partnership of the six, so plan the lesson together in detail. |
Model descriptions follow CAST’s introduction to co-teaching, and the group sizes and timing come from the examples in Stetson Associates’ overview of collaborative teaching models.
Misconceptions that weaken co-teaching
Most failed pairings trace back to a handful of assumptions about roles and models. Each one has a supported correction.
- “The special education teacher is the assistant.” Co-teachers are considered equally responsible and accountable for the classroom. Research reviewed by Stetson Associates documents overuse of the one-teach, one-assist approach, which does not foster equal roles. The same source names station, parallel, alternative and team teaching as effective models, so a pair stuck in a lead-and-support pattern has clear alternatives.
- “Choose a model and keep it.” A pair does not necessarily use the same teaching model every day. The choice depends on the teachers’ styles, students’ needs and the lesson itself, so the model belongs in the lesson plan rather than in the pair’s identity.
- “Team teaching is the goal for every pair.” CAST notes that team teaching requires the strongest partnership but can be one of the most fulfilling methods. That makes it a strong fit for pairs with established trust, and a poor default for a pair that has just met. The other five models still deliver shared instruction.
- “Strong teachers do not need to plan together.” ASCD states that, regardless of the teaching platform, co-planning remains critical to co-teaching success. Talent in two individual classrooms does not replace joint planning in one shared room.
Choosing a model for the lesson
The decision comes down to what the lesson needs from two adults: more groups, smaller groups, concentrated attention or shared modeling.
Station and parallel teaching
Choose station teaching when a lesson breaks naturally into separate segments, because each teacher can own a segment and the groups rotate through them. Choose parallel teaching when everyone needs the same content but a smaller group would make participation easier, since both groups receive the same content at the same time. The second model asks less of the lesson design but more of the preparation: both teachers must be ready to deliver identical material.
Alternate teaching and observation
Alternate teaching suits a predictable small group that needs specialized attention while the rest of the class continues. If the same students are pulled every time, the pair should ask whether the grouping is flexible enough to stay fair. One teach, one observe suits the lesson where the pair needs evidence about how students are actually working before deciding on the next model. One teach, one drift suits a lesson in which students need occasional help but the whole class is receiving the same input.
Teams who want their model choices to feed classroom differentiation can read Differentiated Instruction Strategies: Practical Methods to Reach Every Learner in 2026 – Principalspartnership, and teams with multilingual learners in the room can pair the models with Practical Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners: Classroom-Proven Techniques for 2026 – Principalspartnership.
Planning together
Co-teachers plan by treating common planning time as the place where the model, the roles and the evidence-gathering are decided for each lesson. CAST points out that co-teachers must manage varying levels of preparation for each model. A pair that plans a team-taught lesson, a station lesson and an observation lesson in the same way will under-prepare at least one of them.
A shared lesson template keeps the conversation short and specific. These agenda items are a practical starting point:
- Name the model. Record which of the six models the lesson will use and why it suits the content.
- Assign the segments. Write down who leads each part and what the other teacher is doing at that moment.
- Decide the evidence. Agree what the monitoring teacher will observe or collect, and where it will be recorded.
- Set the next step. Note what the pair will change next time, so the plan improves from lesson to lesson.
Scheduling support for administrators
Co-teaching depends on timetable decisions that only administrators can make. The facts available point to a few specific conditions for schools to protect.
- Build in common planning time. Because joint planning is critical to the partnership, a pair without shared time on the timetable is working without a basic requirement.
- Give new pairs room to settle. CAST notes there is an adjustment period for new co-teachers, and the teachers must be dedicated to the partnership. Judge a new pairing on how the partnership develops, not on its first lessons.
- Match planning time to the models in use. Since preparation demands differ by model, a pair planning station or team-taught lessons may need that shared time more than a pair using lighter models.
- Look for variety in observations. If every visit shows one teacher leading and the other assisting, point the pair to the alternatives named by Stetson Associates, since overuse of one-teach, one-assist is documented.
Monitoring progress during lessons
The second adult is most valuable when the role is concrete. ASCD describes one co-teacher leading direct instruction while the other monitors, observes and collects data. The co-teacher in the support role can also monitor attendance and time on task. That turns progress monitoring into a built-in feature of the lesson rather than an extra task afterwards.
The one-teach, one-observe model formalizes this split: the observing teacher watches students to identify issues and assess performance. Pairs get the most from it when they agree before the lesson on what counts as evidence and what they will adjust if the evidence shows a problem.
Frequently asked questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Does co-teaching help students and teachers? | Research cited by Stetson Associates reports student gains in academics, study skills and social-emotional well-being, and teacher growth in content knowledge, classroom management strategies and curriculum adaptations. |
| Why are inclusion classrooms linked to co-teaching? | An inclusion classroom is often chosen as the least restrictive environment for students with IEPs, and co-teaching is often implemented there with general and special education teachers paired together. |
| Can co-teachers plan in a virtual setting? | Yes. ASCD suggests planning by staying before or after a virtual class session, or using chat during a lesson. |
